Almost immediately after arriving from Las Palmas, having failed in my studies, I gave up a job to continue training a group of girls that I had started before leaving, who then, with my help, joined an emerging Club Deportivo San José Obrero. I did it for nothing, for nothing in return.
And so, from June 1975 to mid-1986, I dedicated hours and hours, days and days, entire weeks, with their Sundays and Mondays, to coaching handball to lots of girls and boys on the Titerroy courts. I did it for nothing, for nothing in return. Failing to contribute to Social Security for 10 years.
During those 10 years, every day, every week, every month, in addition to training a lot of hours a day, I dedicated more hours to asking for favors, to asking for money, to buy balls, to buy equipment, to pay for trips. All so that lots of girls and young people from the modest neighborhood of Titerroy could play handball in similar conditions to those in Torrelavega. I did it for nothing, for nothing in return. Not even for them to thank me, or for them to remember me when they grew up.
Nor did I do it thinking that, when they grew up and had a career, and were people with the capacity to make decisions about where to allocate some money, they would have the sensitivity to finance projects like the 'San José' back then. I did it for nothing, for nothing in return.
Tired, because I also get tired, in 1986 I left the management of the Club. I continued being a coach but, I was surely a nuisance because, the new Board of Directors of San José ended up firing me.
Then, at the beginning of the 1986/87 school year, a good friend offered me a job. A good job. At that time I earned 150,000 net pesetas a month. From the year 1986.
Then I got into politics. And in 1987, with the CDS, we won the elections to the Cabildo, and I was Councilor of Sports of the Cabildo.
And then, six months later, I quit my job to be able to dedicate myself well to the task of directing and managing Lanzarote's sport. I did it for nothing, for nothing in return. Without charging. For almost two years I was a sports councilor of the Cabildo without charging. I did it for nothing, for nothing in return. It is true that later, the last two years as councilor of the Cabildo I was paid.
At the end of the term of the Cabildo Corporation presided over by Nicolás de Páiz (June 1991), the circumstances of San José led me to assume the presidency of the Club again. It was that or San José would disappear. I returned to the presidency only for that, for San José to which I had dedicated so many years. For that and for nothing else, without anything in return.
And, again, until 1998 I dedicated almost all the hours of almost every day to training, organizing, going here and there. All so that lots of children, young people and then also some adults could play handball, with good balls, with good equipment, traveling whenever necessary. And we also traveled to recreational tournaments. We went to Madeira, and to Téramo, in Italy. All only for that, for those children and young people from the neighborhood. Without anything in return. Losing more years of contribution to Social Security.
As I have been reiterating, I did everything for nothing, always. All for nothing in return
And as everything was for nothing, always; I have received nothing and I expect nothing. I want nothing.
One thing yes, if you allow me: that the thousands of boys and girls who during all that time played handball, without their parents having to pay a penny, if they now have it in their hands, collaborate with the sports clubs that take so many children and young people out of the corners, from in front of the TV or the computer, and take them to a court, or put them in front of a chessboard so that when they grow up they are as healthy and responsible, and I hope as supportive, as you are.
I ask nothing for myself. Thank you